New DIY cage idea

[The Huntsman]

An idea I had to share.

YouTube - HuntsmanExotics's Channel

[Serpentes Inc.]

Re: New DIY cage idea

Interesting. Never thought of using the foam boards. Wish I had a garage to build things in.

[Spo0led]

Re: New DIY cage idea

Thats awesome! Where might a guy find foam like that? Lowes? Home Depot?

[bterrill]

Re: New DIY cage idea

Man that was really awesome. How well is it holding heat and humidity? I thought the tiles were a nice touch.

[zamora]

Re: New DIY cage idea

Lowe's carries that foam insulation I know for sure and I'm sure Home Depot does as well-I will be posting some pics soon of a cage I just finished and I used that foam insulation as well---works GREAT!!!

[Spo0led]

Re: New DIY cage idea

Lowe's carries that foam insulation I know for sure and I'm sure Home Depot does as well-I will be posting some pics soon of a cage I just finished and I used that foam insulation as well---works GREAT!!!

Awesome! did you use foam for all the sides but the front? How much did that stuff cost?

[zamora]

Re: New DIY cage idea

Awesome! did you use foam for all the sides but the front? How much did that stuff cost?

Yep--three sides and it was about $20 for a 4 x 8 sheet--more than enough to go around. I know it's hard to wait but when you see the finished product you will say..."That's one lucky snake!"

[chaosboa]

Re: New DIY cage idea

Yeah he did a really good job. it looks nice and relatively cheap to produce. I would seal the tile somehow to make double sure it's waterproof and so uriates dn't get between thetile and the foam. great idea.

[MSwift]

Re: New DIY cage idea

that is awesome i really like the tile to thanks

[JLTerry]

Re: New DIY cage idea

I wonder how well flexwatt could be used in such a build? You couldn't or shall I say wouldn't want to mount the flexwatt underneath the foam for the insulating properties of the foam would block most of the heat. Putting flexwatt inside may be tricky. You wouldn't want it to be able to get wet in case of a short. If you mounted the flexwatt under the tiles and sealed the surface of the tiles really well it would work, but changing the flexwatt if it went out would be a pain since the tiles would be stuck to it and sealed. You would probably have to totally redo the floor surface. I would love to see your finished build and see how you are heating. I have thought of using foam to insulate the sides of a simple rack instead of building completely out of melamine to save on weight so I am glad to see someone else thinking along the same lines.

Edit: Here's an idea! How about using a solid thin piece of plexi or other plastic material as the floor over the foam instead of tiles and use the tiles on the sides. The flexwatt could be mounted under this one solid piece and the sides could be silicone sealed. You would cover the floor with paper or other substrate so you wouldn't see it anyways.

[The Huntsman]

Re: New DIY cage idea

Thanks, it's working really well. I have a suriname in the top one. It just shed last night so hopefully I will get a shot of what the both cages together look like. I've built plywood ones but they're 3' and really heavy. I can't imagine how heavy one this size or larger would be. I really like that heating cord sandwiched in plywood idea I saw on here I believe. Lowe's rules! Only they carry this dense foam. The 3/4" 4X8 cost about $11 down here in South Texas. I've seen vid's of fish tank backgrounds using this foam. They paint on cement after making the shapes. I can imagine a large elaborate snake cage being built with this method.

[Spo0led]

Re: New DIY cage idea

Edit: Here's an idea! How about using a solid thin piece of plexi or other plastic material as the floor over the foam instead of tiles and use the tiles on the sides. The flexwatt could be mounted under this one solid piece and the sides could be silicone sealed. You would cover the floor with paper or other substrate so you wouldn't see it anyways.

Thats a good idea! You could even cover the plexi with tiles and then you still wouldnt have to worry. Just unseal the silicone and switch out the heat tape, then put the floor back in and reseal.

[JLTerry]

Re: New DIY cage idea

Thats a good idea! You could even cover the plexi with tiles and then you still wouldnt have to worry. Just unseal the silicone and switch out the heat tape, then put the floor back in and reseal.

That's right and the entire floor would come out as one piece to reveal the flexwatt on top of the foam.

Another idea, but it would be alot more work, how about "glassing" (fiberglass) in the outer sides. Do it just as you would say an automobile speaker enclosure. It would still be lightweight and paintable. Basically you use thin grill cloth, fiberglass cloth, or other thin material and staple it to the outer sides. Then paint with fiberglass resin, apply bondo, sand, and paint. Then you could put on the painted or stained face and door.

Something like this but with the snake enclosure:
[youtube]MVFwQl2UeqM[/youtube]

Of course the sides of the enclosure are flat and square so it will be alot easier. I used to own a stereo and electronics shop so I have done this type of work before. It really isn't that hard with basic skills but good prep and painting will make the enclosure look better than someone who doesn't know what they are doing or rushes the job.

[BigPaPaErnest]

Re: New DIY cage idea

Thanks, it's working really well. I have a suriname in the top one. It just shed last night so hopefully I will get a shot of what the both cages together look like. I've built plywood ones but they're 3' and really heavy. I can't imagine how heavy one this size or larger would be. I really like that heating cord sandwiched in plywood idea I saw on here I believe. Lowe's rules! Only they carry this dense foam. The 3/4" 4X8 cost about $11 down here in South Texas. I've seen vid's of fish tank backgrounds using this foam. They paint on cement after making the shapes. I can imagine a large elaborate snake cage being built with this method.

Cool tank!...YOUR FROM MISSION???? I'm from San Bene! We should meet up someday.

[Spo0led]

Re: New DIY cage idea

That fiberglass is another good idea. Ive done body and paint work before so Im sure I could do it without a problem. Tile the inside then candy red with flames on the outside!